editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Ina Jaffe is a veteran NPR correspondent covering the aging of America in all its variety. Her stories on Morning Edition and All Things Considered have focused on older adults' involvement in politics and elections, dating and divorce, work and retirement, fashion and sports, as well as issues affecting long term care and end of life choices. She also has an ongoing spot on Weekend Edition with Scott Simon called "1 in 5" where she discusses issues relevant to the 1/5 of the U.S. population that will be 65 years old or more by 2030. Ina also reports on politics, contributing to NPR's coverage of national elections in 2008, 2010, and 2012. From her base at NPR's production center in Culver City, California, Ina has covered most of the region's major news events from the beating of Rodney King to the election of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. She's also developed award-winning enterprise pieces. Her 2012 investigation into how the West Los Angeles VA made millions from renting vacantNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Ina JaffeFri, 21 Jul 2017 08:15:46 +0000Ina Jaffehttp://kasu.org
Ina JaffeO.J. Simpson will find out on Thursday if he soon will be released from the Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada. He has been held there for nearly nine years for convictions on armed robbery and other charges. The former NFL hero, TV pitchman and movie star, now 70, stands a good chance of being granted parole when he appears before the Nevada Parole Board via video link. No one has registered to testify against him. He will likely try to persuade the board of his good behavior behind bars. If paroled, Simpson would be released from prison no sooner than Oct. 1. As with all things O.J., there has been a tremendous media interest in the parole hearing. Thirty media organizations will be on-site in Carson City and at Lovelock Correctional Center, and many outlets will be streaming it live. Ordinarily, the parole board's decision would be announced a few weeks after the hearing. But the board announced that it will rule in Simpson's case the same day as the hearing, saying that it hasO.J. Simpson Parole Hearing Could Lead To His Release From Prisonhttp://kasu.org/post/after-parole-hearing-oj-simpson-could-soon-be-released-prison
90371 as http://kasu.orgThu, 20 Jul 2017 09:03:00 +0000O.J. Simpson Parole Hearing Could Lead To His Release From PrisonIna JaffeFor the past three years, 74-year-old Alice Baker has come to the Macon Branch Library in Brooklyn almost every Thursday morning. That's when the wildly popular Xbox bowling league meets. But Baker also has learned to quilt at the library and says quilting is now a regular part of her life. The two programs are a small part of efforts in Brooklyn and other cities to expand offerings for older adults at libraries. What appeals to Baker is that she can attend activities for people her own age in a place that welcomes people of every age. "They have exercise, they have classes for kids. It brings everybody in," says Baker. "You can bring your family with you." Some of the programs — virtual bowling, for instance — don't strike people as part of a library's mission. Nick Higgins, director of outreach for the Brooklyn Public Library, sees it differently. "A good library reflects the needs of its particular community," he says. "Our older adult community is growing rapidly. ... They'reXbox Bowling For Seniors? Visit Your Local Libraryhttp://kasu.org/post/xbox-bowling-seniors-visit-your-local-library
89812 as http://kasu.orgTue, 04 Jul 2017 09:00:00 +0000Xbox Bowling For Seniors? Visit Your Local LibraryIna JaffePeople complain about nursing homes a lot: the food's no good or there's not enough staff, and so on. It's a long list. But the top complaint, according to the federal government, is eviction from a nursing home. Technically, it's known as involuntary discharge, and in 2015 it brought in more than 9,000 complaints. Now, a couple of states are looking for ways to hold nursing homes accountable for unnecessary evictions. One of those states is Maryland. Brian Frosh , the state's attorney general, says that, in Maryland, more than half of all involuntary discharges have come from just one small chain of nursing homes run by Neiswanger Management Services, or NMS Healthcare . "Your odds of getting evicted from an NMS nursing home are about a hundred times what they are of any other nursing home in the state," says Frosh. Maryland is now suing NMS for Medicaid fraud. The suit alleges that the company charged the state for services it didn't deliver, specifically for discharge planning.As Nursing Homes Evict Patients, States Question Motiveshttp://kasu.org/post/states-try-keep-nursing-homes-kicking-out-less-lucrative-patients
88489 as http://kasu.orgFri, 26 May 2017 20:33:00 +0000As Nursing Homes Evict Patients, States Question MotivesIna JaffeNot everyone who reaches so-called retirement age is ready to retire. But they may be ready for a change. That's one of the reasons that the tech giant Intel pays longtime employees a stipend while they try out new careers at nonprofit organizations. One of those employees is 61-year-old Gail Dougherty. The former project manager now sits at a desk at the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center in Oregon, poring over a spreadsheet on her computer. She's crunching patient data with input from doctors and nurses to figure out better ways of delivering care to the health center's high number of patients with diabetes. "Out of my own non-medical, non-health-care ... head, [I] proposed a workflow that seemed like, from what I was hearing might be the most helpful thing for our patients," Dougherty says. Those patients are migrant workers and others who have no health insurance or who qualify for Medicaid. Dougherty says the skills from her old job fit in with her new one, even though the twoAt Intel, A Retirement Perk That Can Kick Off A New Career As A Paid Fellowhttp://kasu.org/post/intel-retirement-perk-can-kick-new-career-paid-fellow
86973 as http://kasu.orgMon, 17 Apr 2017 08:42:00 +0000At Intel, A Retirement Perk That Can Kick Off A New Career As A Paid FellowIna JaffeIf you're looking for work, you might start with one of those websites that posts jobs. But if you're an older adult looking for work, you might have found yourself excluded from some of the features on those sites. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan opened an investigation after a 70-year-old man called her office and complained that he'd been unable to use a resume building tool on a job search site. ( Read Madigan's letters requesting information from job website companies she's investigating.) The problem was the drop-down menu that required you to select the year when you graduated or got your first job. Those dates only went back to 1980. Madigan's office contends that could exclude anyone over 52. Madigan's office contacted Monster.com , Ladders Inc. , Beyond.com , Indeed.com (an NPR funder), CareerBuilder and Vault . Their sites were less restrictive, but they all had their limits. Some only excluded people older than 82, but Madigan says that's still discrimination. TheOlder Workers Find Age Discrimination Built Right Into Some Job Websiteshttp://kasu.org/post/older-workers-find-age-discrimination-built-right-some-job-sites
86228 as http://kasu.orgWed, 29 Mar 2017 01:33:00 +0000Older Workers Find Age Discrimination Built Right Into Some Job WebsitesIna JaffeMost baby boomers say that they plan to keep working past conventional retirement age. But to do that, they have to get hired first. New research shows that can be harder when you're older. The study was conducted by David Neumark, who is a professor of economics at the University of California, Irvine, and two other economists. They sent out 40,000 resumes for thousands of real jobs. The resumes for any given job were identical except for age. "The call-back rate — the rate by which employers contact us and say we'd like to interview you — drops from young applicants to middle-aged applicants and drops further from middle-aged applicants to older applicants," Neumark says. He also found the results were worse for older women than for older men. For women, he says, "the call-back rates dropped by around a quarter when you go from the young group to the middle-aged group. ... And they drop by another quarter when you go from the middle-age group to ... around age 65." BlatantToo Much Experience To Be Hired? Some Older Americans Face Age Biashttp://kasu.org/post/too-much-experience-be-hired-some-older-americans-face-age-bias
86072 as http://kasu.orgFri, 24 Mar 2017 16:43:00 +0000Too Much Experience To Be Hired? Some Older Americans Face Age BiasIna JaffeMeals on Wheels brings food to hundreds of thousands of homebound seniors and people with disabilities. But President Trump's proposed budget has this community-based program, like many others, facing cuts. On a hazy morning, Alan Zebker and and Vicki Kysella are organizing packages of food in the back of Zebker's SUV. They're volunteers with Meals on Wheels West in Santa Monica. They've got their routine down. "Alan packs the bags; I make the deliveries," Kysella says. "When she's delivering, I pack more bags," Zebker says. Every client gets a hot meal along with a couple of lighter meals or snacks. Altogether, it provides a day's worth of calories: about 2,000 in total. Kysella's been volunteering for about six months. She's found that Santa Monica's upscale, beachy image masks a lot of isolation and suffering. "I just didn't believe that people with these sorts of disabilities or their lack of mobility were living in these apartments virtually next door to me," she says. "It's justFood Is Just One Serving Of What Meals On Wheels Gives Seniorshttp://kasu.org/post/food-just-one-serving-what-meals-wheels-gives-seniors
86029 as http://kasu.orgThu, 23 Mar 2017 15:30:00 +0000Food Is Just One Serving Of What Meals On Wheels Gives SeniorsIna JaffeWhen the Academy Award nominations were announced in 2015 — and again in 2016 — there was swift backlash against the Academy for the lack of racial diversity among the nominees. Now, a new study of Best Picture nominees has revealed yet another demographic that's been chronically underrepresented in Hollywood — older people. In the 25 films nominated for Best Picture Oscars over the past three years, less than 12 percent of the characters were people over the age of 60. Of those, very few were women or minorities. This is according to a new study by Stacy Smith, who directs the Media, Diversity and Social Change initiative at the University of Southern California. Smith had previously looked at the age of characters in popular films, and was curious to see if critically acclaimed, Best Picture nominees might have a different proportion of older characters. Turns out, they don't. Even when there are older characters, Smith found they rarely drive the plot. In the 25 best pictureIn A Film Industry Focused On Youth, Older Characters Are Tough To Findhttp://kasu.org/post/film-industry-focused-youth-older-characters-are-tough-find
84866 as http://kasu.orgTue, 21 Feb 2017 22:33:00 +0000In A Film Industry Focused On Youth, Older Characters Are Tough To FindIna JaffeCreating some form of art is commonly believed to help older people stay mentally and physically healthy. Scientific research hasn't quite caught up with that belief. But that hasn't deterred the dozen or so older adults in Janet Hoult's poetry workshop. She refers to them all as "my poets." They meet weekly at the Culver City Senior Center in Culver City, Calif. Hoult is 80. Her eldest pupil, Ruth Berman, is 91. Like everyone in the class on the day I visit, Berman's brought some new work to share. It's a sweet poem about a gift from her granddaughter, expressed in rhyming couplets. "My jewelry that's real is hidden out of sight," she reads, "but my butterfly necklace, I wear day and night." Another member of the class has a more meditative piece. Terry Dicks' poem is about her spiritual struggles — her choice between "mud," as she puts it, and her quest for the place "where miracles flow and all rain is holy water." Regardless of age or subject matter, everyone here is serious aboutCan Poetry Keep You Young? Science Is Still Out, But The Heart Says Yeshttp://kasu.org/post/can-poetry-keep-you-young-science-still-out-heart-says-yes
84801 as http://kasu.orgMon, 20 Feb 2017 10:11:00 +0000Can Poetry Keep You Young? Science Is Still Out, But The Heart Says YesIna JaffeCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: This week, the House of Representatives could vote to undo another set of Obama Administration regulations, this time about retirement savings. Most people don't save enough for retirement, and half of private employers don't provide retirement benefits, so some states set up plans to make it easier for workers to save. Those retirement programs were helped along by those Obama-era regulations, but if the House gets rid of them, the state programs could be left in limbo. NPR's Ina Jaffe covers aging, and she filed this report. INA JAFFE, BYLINE: The state-run retirement plans are all a little different, but they generally work something like this. Employers who don't offer retirement benefits would automatically send a small amount of each worker's paycheck to an IRA account supervised by the state. Employers contribute nothing, and workers can opt out if they want. California plans to start enrolling people in such a programCongress Poised To Stop State-Run Retirement Programshttp://kasu.org/post/congress-poised-stop-state-run-retirement-programs
84563 as http://kasu.orgMon, 13 Feb 2017 21:36:00 +0000Congress Poised To Stop State-Run Retirement ProgramsIna JaffeRepublican lawmakers meeting in Philadelphia this week say they want their replacement of Obamacare to be done by spring. There is no consensus on a plan yet, but several Republicans in Congress have already circulated proposals that could reduce or eliminate features of the federal health law that have benefited older Americans. Here are some examples: Prescription drugs The Affordable Care Act expanded Medicare's prescription drug benefit. Before the ACA, people on Medicare had to deal with a gap in that insurance coverage that came to be known as the doughnut hole . That's the point at which Medicare would stop paying part of the cost of drugs, and beneficiaries would have to buy them at full price. Then, when the patient's out-of-pocket costs reached a level deemed to be "catastrophic," Medicare would start paying most of the cost of the drugs again. A 2011 study from the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that when patients had to pay full price, they'd skip some of their prescribedObamacare Repeal Could Threaten Provisions That Help Older Adultshttp://kasu.org/post/obamacare-repeal-could-threaten-provisions-help-older-adults
83889 as http://kasu.orgSat, 28 Jan 2017 12:10:00 +0000Obamacare Repeal Could Threaten Provisions That Help Older AdultsIna JaffeCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: Today is President Donald Trump's first full day in office. In a few minutes, we'll hear what the president has been doing. That includes a controversial visit to the CIA. But we're going to spend some time hearing about those massive women's marches that have been taking place all day. Women and, yes, many men, and even children flocked to marches in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, among other cities. And there were marches overseas in places like Paris, Delhi and Bangkok. The purpose, they say, is to take a stand for women's rights and against Donald Trump's agenda, as well as the tone they say the new president is setting for the country. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) DONNA HILTON: This march is about us, the people, the women in this country, who refuse to be marginalized, sexualized and abused and silenced. March. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) ELIZABETH WARREN: Now, we can whimper, we canWomen's Marches Across The Country Highlight Numerous Issueshttp://kasu.org/post/womens-marches-across-country-highlight-numerous-issues
83657 as http://kasu.orgSat, 21 Jan 2017 23:31:00 +0000Women's Marches Across The Country Highlight Numerous IssuesIna JaffeCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: When older people are confronted with the frailties that can come with age, they often look to family. According to the AARP, more than 30 million Americans care for at least one aging family member. But increasingly, older adults can find themselves without any family to rely on. NPR's Ina Jaffe explains why this isn't just an issue of more older people and fewer children. INA JAFFE, BYLINE: It's not just that baby boomers had smaller families than previous generations. Many of their adult children moved away, so they're not nearby. There are also fewer spouses to step in because baby boomers divorce more than previous generations. So for many older adults, having family to fall back on when they need help just isn't possible. MARTIN: So what are the other options? JAFFE: Well, there's a growing industry of professional home care providers. You can (laughter) you can hear the names of a couple of them in NPR's funding creditsWithout Any Family, Aging Adults Rely On Friends For Helphttp://kasu.org/post/without-any-family-aging-adults-rely-friends-help
82854 as http://kasu.orgMon, 02 Jan 2017 12:24:00 +0000Without Any Family, Aging Adults Rely On Friends For HelpIna JaffeSome encouraging news in the battle against Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia: The rate at which older Americans are getting these conditions is declining. That's according to a study published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine . Researchers say one reason for the improved outlook is an increase in education. The study used data gathered in two snapshots, one in 2000 and another in 2012, that each looked at more than 10,000 Americans who were at least 65 years old. In the first snapshot, 11.6 percent of them had some form of dementia. In the second snapshot, it was 8.8 percent. Put in more human terms, "that's well over a million people who don't have dementia, who would have had it if the rates had stayed the same as 2000 rates," says John Haaga , who directs the Division of Behavioral and Social Research at the National Institute on Aging , which funded the study. While the prevalence of dementia cases dropped, the average amount of education in the study populationDementia Risk Declines, And Education May Be One Reason Whyhttp://kasu.org/post/dementia-risk-declines-and-education-may-be-one-reason-why
81411 as http://kasu.orgMon, 21 Nov 2016 22:42:00 +0000Dementia Risk Declines, And Education May Be One Reason WhyIna JaffeLoneliness can be a problem for older people, especially when they're in the hospital. Their children may have moved away. Spouses and friends may themselves be too frail to visit. So a California hospital is providing volunteer companions in the geriatric unit. One of the volunteers at the UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica is 24-year-old Julia Torrano. She hopes to go to medical school. Meanwhile, her twice-weekly volunteer shifts give her a lot of practice working with patients. One of them is Estelle Day. She's 79 years old, a slender woman with a wild mane of hair that is still mostly red. Torrano peppers her with questions. "Where were you originally from?" asks Torrano. Day replies that she grew up on Long Island in New York. Torrano also wants to know how Day met her husband, where she learned to play the harp, where her travels have taken her. Day is happy to answer everything. She says she likes people and describes herself as "windbaggy." That's especially true if she'sHospital Companions Can Ease Isolation For Older Peoplehttp://kasu.org/post/hospital-companions-ease-isolation-older-patients
81383 as http://kasu.orgMon, 21 Nov 2016 10:03:00 +0000Hospital Companions Can Ease Isolation For Older PeopleIna JaffeCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit KELLY MCEVERS, HOST: Donald Trump has agreed to pay $25 million to settle three lawsuits that targeted his now-defunct Trump University real estate seminars. NPR's Ina Jaffe has been following the cases, and she is here in the studio with me now. Hi, Ina. INA JAFFE, BYLINE: Hi. MCEVERS: So what can you tell us about settlement? JAFFE: Well, Trump or his businesses will pay $25 million compensation to the plaintiffs in these suits. And that includes a million dollars to the state of New York. The settlement encompasses a case brought by the state of New York as well as two other cases that are in federal District Court in San Diego. It's unclear at this moment how much money each plaintiff would receive, since these are class-action suits potentially involving thousands of plaintiffs. MCEVERS: Remind us what these cases were about. JAFFE: Well, they were about whether Trump University really did what Donald Trump said it would do. In videos andDonald Trump Reaches $25 Million Settlement In Trump University Casehttp://kasu.org/post/donald-trump-reaches-25-million-settlement-trump-university-case
81300 as http://kasu.orgFri, 18 Nov 2016 23:17:00 +0000Donald Trump Reaches $25 Million Settlement In Trump University CaseIna JaffeThe market for products designed specifically for older adults could reach $30 billion by next year, and startups want in on the action. What they sometimes lack is feedback from the people they hope will use their product. So Brookdale , the country's largest owner of retirement communities, has been inviting a few select entrepreneurs just to move in for a few days, show off their products and hear what the residents have to say. That's what brought Dayle Rodriguez, 28, all the way from England to the dining room of Brookdale South Bay in Torrance, Calif. Rodriguez is the community and marketing manager for a company called Sentab. The startup's product , SentabTV, enables older adults who may not be comfortable with computers to access email, video chat and social media using just their televisions and a remote control. "It's nothing new, it's nothing too complicated and it's intuitive because lots of people have TV remotes," says Rodriguez. But none of that is the topic ofFor Startups Marketing To Seniors, A Novel Idea: Move In With Themhttp://kasu.org/post/startups-turn-seniors-product-feedback
81043 as http://kasu.orgSat, 12 Nov 2016 13:42:00 +0000For Startups Marketing To Seniors, A Novel Idea: Move In With ThemIna JaffeHere in Japan, the buckwheat noodles known as soba are a staple. Nowhere more so than in the mountains of the southern island of Shikoku . The soil there is poor. Buckwheat is one of the few crops that will grow. So the region has been known for its soba for centuries. Reiko Tsuzuki, 70, has been carrying on the tradition of soba-making for more than four decades. She runs a small restaurant – Tsuzuki Soba House – in a little village in the remote mountains. She runs the place by herself: preparing and serving the food and pouring endless cups of tea from an enormous brass kettle. As if that weren't enough, she also serenades her guests with a traditional song. It's a song sung by women as they grind the buckwheat for soba by hand. Roughly translated, it goes, "Don't be mean to your daughter in law," the one who would traditionally be stuck with this tedious job, because "someday your daughter will marry and become a daughter-in-law herself." The place where Tsuzuki makes soba is in aJapan's Centuries-Old Tradition Of Making Soba Noodleshttp://kasu.org/post/japans-centuries-old-tradition-making-soba-noodles
78297 as http://kasu.orgSun, 28 Aug 2016 21:10:00 +0000Japan's Centuries-Old Tradition Of Making Soba NoodlesIna JaffeIn Japan, you sometimes hear the term "village on the edge." What it means is "village on the edge of extinction." Japan's population is declining. And the signs of that are easiest to see in rural areas, like the mountainous interior of the southern island of Shikoku. For example, the village of Nagoro used to have around 300 residents. Now it has 30. Visitors know they've arrived when they see the three farmers in floppy hats resting against a telephone pole by the side of the road. They're always there. They're scarecrows, life-sized figures made of cloth and stuffed with cotton and newspapers. The same goes for the man fishing in the creek a bit farther up the road, and the woman working in the potato field and the people waiting at the bus stop. All of these figures are the work of 67-year-old Tsukimi Ayano. She's been making them for more than a decade. The first one was intended to just be a kakashi , a scarecrow, something to keep the birds from eating the seeds she'd planted.A Dying Japanese Village Brought Back To Life — By Scarecrowshttp://kasu.org/post/dying-japanese-village-brought-back-life-scarecrows
78197 as http://kasu.orgFri, 26 Aug 2016 09:04:00 +0000A Dying Japanese Village Brought Back To Life — By ScarecrowsIna JaffeHiromi Yamamuro is doing something that's relatively rare in Japan. At age 67, he's still working in the corporate world, where traditionally, the mandatory retirement age has been 60. But Yamamuro keeps going, because he loves his job — which he's been doing for 18 years — selling environmentally friendly products at Tokyo-based Sato Holdings. "We're developing new products every single day," he says. "Plus the purpose is to create an environmentally friendly world. And it's just so much fun!" Yamamuro says his wife would like him to stay home. And his friends, who are retired, just don't understand him. "They say I must be crazy," says Yamamuro. "They tell me I should do something that I like doing. But this is what I like doing." The Japanese government would like to see more older workers like Yamamiro. Japan boasts the world's second highest life expectancy , 84 years. And with nearly 27 percent of Japanese citizens age 65 or older, the country's population is not only aging — itFor Some Older Adults In Japan, A Chance To Stay In The Workforcehttp://kasu.org/post/some-older-adults-japan-chance-stay-workforce
78172 as http://kasu.orgThu, 25 Aug 2016 14:13:00 +0000For Some Older Adults In Japan, A Chance To Stay In The Workforce